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With his one-year contract running out, Bengals defensive assistant Hue Jackson is starting to get interest as an offensive coordinator. NFL Network via ProFootballTalk.com reported Friday that the Panthers have asked permission to talk to Jackson about the vacancy left by the Browns announcement they’ve hired Rob Chudzinski as head coach. The New York Daily News has reported Jackson is also in the mix for the Jets job with two other former NFL head coaches, Marty Mornhinweg and Cam Cameron.

Jackson is highly-regarded in NFL circles as an offensive mind despite last season’s dismissal from the Raiders after one year as head coach. In the two seasons he was with Oakland as first the coordinator and then as the head guy, the Raiders finished 10th and ninth in offense in 2010 and 2011, respectively. This year Oakland fell to 18th.

If Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden gets a head coaching job, Jackson has been mentioned as a potential successor. Gruden interviewed in Arizona on Thursday, and it’s believed he was in San Diego on Saturday and is headed to Philadelphia on Sunday. It’s also believed that Gruden, a well-known figure in Florida, is also getting play in Jacksonville. Indeed, NFL Network reported later Saturday that Gruden has an interview with the Jaguars.

The Charlotte Observer, via PFT, also reported Friday that former Browns head coach Pat Shurmur is also a candidate in Carolina.

Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick tweeted he’s having a medical procedure Friday but it’s not expected to derail his training camp.

Kirkpatrick, Cincinnati’s first pick in last year’s draft, missed virtually all of his first training camp as well as the first half of the season with a bone spur in his knee. Kirkpatrick went on injured reserve Christmas Day when the knee became irritated and indications are he’s underdoing what appears to be a cleanup rather than a major procedure. He was never able to dog the injury bug. After he played in five games (two tackles on defense, two on special teams), he suffered a concussion Dec. 2 in San Diego, missed the next two games, and when it looked like he was ready to come back the knee flared up.